Buying Guides

Incisive Business Guide to Stolen Vehicle Tracking Systems

This guide from Incisive Business outlines the features and
benefits for your business from protecting your company vehicles
using stolen vehicle tracking systems.

A stolen vehicle tracking system, also known as After Theft
Systems for Vehicle
Recovery (ATSVR) or Vehicle Location Unit (VLU), gives your
business the ability to track and recover your vehicles should they
be taken without permission.

Why would my business benefits from using a stolen
vehicle tracking system?

Stolen vehicle tracking can help you to recover your vehicles,
allowing you to maintain the running of you fleet with the minimum
amount of down time required to replace a stolen vehicle.

Using Stolen Vehicle Tracking to locate your vehicles will
allow you to retrieve valuable products contained within the
vehicles before they are removed.

What is stolen vehicle tracking?

Basically a stolen vehicle tracking system is a small electronic
device installed in you car, commercial vehicle, HGV or plant
equipment, which gives you or a tracking company, the ability to
track the vehicle's location.

Which is the right vehicle tracking system for
me?

There are two types of vehicle tracking systems - the most
common is Global Positioning System (GPS), the other less common is
Radio Frequency (RF) devices. Which you choose will depend on your
specific requirements.

Global Positioning System

If you're a fleet manager you should probably opt for the GPS
service, also known as Satellite Tracking.

GPS tracking products can track multiple vehicles at the same
time. GPS tracking ill transmit the information directly to
your computer in real time. It can tell you where the vehicle
location: how fast it is travelling; whether the driver is revving
the engine too much or how hard they are breaking; providing
you with the ability to work with your drivers to modify driving
techniques, save fuel consumption and vehicle wear and tear.

With a GPS system it is important to remember that the vehicles
are monitored by satellites circling the earth and they rely on
line of sight. Basically they have to be able to see the
vehicle in order to track it. If the vehicle goes into a
garage, tunnel or building the vehicle tracking system will not be
able to tell you what the vehicle is doing. Sometimes this
can apply when vehicles are in a major built up area where the
signal may be intermittent. To resolve these issues some
vehicle tracking systems have both an active and passive
tracking.

Active Tracking

Active tracking collects GPS location, vehicle speed, and
direction as well as monitor events such as the turning on and off
of the engine, the opening and closing of doors etc. This
information is transmitted, in real-time, via cellular or satellite
networks to a computer or data centre for evaluation.

Passive Tracking

Passive tracking devices will store the same information as the
active tracking system. When the vehicle returns to base the
device can either be taken out of the vehicle where you can
transfer the data to your computer or some passive tracking systems
can wirelessly transfer this data for evaluation.

Radio Frequency

For companies with one or two vehicles, or where you don't need
to know the exact movement of the vehicles, or where you are simply
concerned about the vehicles being stolen, an RF vehicle tracking
system would be more appropriate.

RF stolen vehicle tracking systems use radio transceivers or
Vehicle Locator Units. The vehicle location unit is installed
in the vehicle but remains inactive.

If the vehicle is reported stolen, a signal is sent to the
stolen vehicle tracking device by means of a remotely activated
radio signal. Once the stolen vehicle tracking device is
activated it transmits a radio signal which is picked up by
receivers situated throughout the coverage area.

These receivers forward the information to a base station
computer which will display the vehicle's approximate location on a
computerized map. The accuracy of the location will depend on
the system chosen and can vary anywhere from a few miles to a few
hundred feet.

The Police or other retrieval service cars equipped with Mobile
Tracking Receivers can then be directed to the relevant location.
When they are within proximity of the stolen vehicle, the
mobile tracking receiver will automatically pick up the signal and
home in on the vehicle's exact location.

Unlike GPS systems, which require line of site with satellites,
RF devices can track vehicles even if hidden in cargo containers,
garages and underground car parks.

What information do I need from a vehicle tracking
company to make a decision?

Before buying a Vehicle Tracking system you should consider
exactly what you want it for and whether or not you need real time
information. Once you understand your needs you need to find
a supplier who provides a relevant solution.

Some questions to ask your prospective
vehicle tracking company:

What is the coverage of their vehicle tracking system?
Does it cover the whole country? Are there any particular
black spots and if so where are they? If there are black
spots will the tracking system retain data and if so for how
long?

If your vehicles are overseas would the vehicle tracking system
still track them and if so what would be there be additional
costs?

What are the terms of the contract? Normally these can
range from one to five years.

Check to see if the product you are interested in has some kind
of "future proof". Can be updated with any new changes during
the term? You don't want to be left with outdated
technology.

Are there any additional costs that may not be apparent in the
monthly fees, such as installation costs, software licence renewal
or update fees?

Are there any callout fees for repairs or when you want to
switch the hardware from one vehicle to another?

What customer testimonials can they provide? Can you talk
to any of their customers?

Make sure that the vehicle tracking representative covers all
eventualities and provides the answers in writing along with your
quotation.

Once you have all the relevant information and costs, you should
be in a position to make an informed decision based on all the
facts.

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